1 injured in Des Plaines nursing home fire

At least one person was injured when fire broke out at the Ballard Respiratory and Rehab Center in northwest suburban Des Plaines.

The fire broke out around 8:15 a.m. Thursday in a second floor unit at the nursing home, located at 9300 Ballard Road.

"It was confined to that one unit, and actually contained by fire sprinkler," North Maine Fire Protection District Chief Rick Dobrowski said. "I would hate to think what would have happened if there wasn't a sprinkler there."

One person was inside the unit where the fire broke out. Chief Dobrowski did not know his or her condition. In all, four people were transported to local hospitals, all with smoke exposure.

"We were able to move everybody from the wing where this fire occurred to different areas of the building where they were assessed by the nursing staff here," Chief Dobrowski said.